*Sorry, I did didn’t hear that. Did you say something closet exhibitionist?*
Danny let a frustrated growl and finished undressing. He was in a secluded corner of the courtyard, and his guards would just follow him to the research room anyway.
*Danny, we only have level six in Earth Affinity so the change shouldn't be as drastic as nature, more like fire’s.*
*Alright Cranny, let’s do it.*
After a few moments Danny's skin started to darken. Smooth skin stiffened to be replaced with rough craggy rock like striations. Danny noticed that his flesh also felt denser, heavier.
*Once again, no aura with this one. Danny, this stuff almost seems like a natural armor. Do you think you could add another layer to your body?*
Danny focused on his skin and imagined an inch layer of stone covering his body like a knight’s armor.
The earth bulged below his feet and started to undulate. It was but a few seconds before stone rose out of the ground and swelled around his feet. It only started at his feet like a large tumor then slowly thinned out as it moved upwards. Soon it covered his entire body from the neck down.
“Ahhhhh!”
There was a large crack as the rock still connected with the earth broke and Danny fell sideways under the weight of all the stone covering his body. The rock didn't shatter like he thought it would and still clung to his flesh. Once the stone had formed over him, Danny realized there was no way for him to move. Even though he imagined individual armor pieces, the stone seemed to have fused them together.
Danny could just barely manage to see Phantom out of the corner of his eye. She was awake now and obviously annoyed at being woken up. Standing up, her ears were pointed as high in the air as they could go as she searched for the reason Danny had yelled out. Padding over to him slowly she sniffed his hair and face for a bit as her harmony aura flowed out of her body. Danny realized she was inspecting him for injury.
After a few seconds the cat's aura retreated and she blew out all the air in her lungs in a huff. Danny's stony, noodle like, hair was pushed over to fall, partially covering his eyes. Danny could just make out Phantom’s retreating backside as she exited the courtyard.
Cranny laughed, *Girl knows a lost cause when she smells one.*
Danny did his best to not be offended, while focusing on his joints and imagining gaps forming. It didn't take long for the stone at these locations to crumble and slough off.
Danny then tried to get up but found the weight was still too much for his scrawny body. Danny struggled for a bit longer before admitting defeat and removing the stone from everywhere but small bands on his arms, legs, and waist. He wasn't ready to completely give up and knew he just needed to increase his insignificant amount of muscle mass. In fact, this is exactly what Wizard Basalt had suggested.
Danny began going through a basic calisthenics workout. It didn't take long for his muscles to burn. He wasn't physically tired; his muscles had just been stimulated enough to begin changing and growing. Danny was thinking about using Harmony Affinity, but hesitated.
*Cranny, do you think I have eaten enough to repair my body with Harmony Affinity? I don't want it to start eating my muscles to repair the damage I have done.”
*I was thinking about that too, and I want to try something. Switch to Nature Aspect and tap into the palace’s nutrient feed.*
Danny could see where this was going, and since Earth Affinity was part of Nature Affinity, he easily switched to Nature Aspect. Extending his roots out to the sacred tree, Danny tapped into it and waited.
*Yep, that confirms it, Danny. Nature Aspect boosts regeneration. Harmony Affinity definitely wins out though for use during emergency situations.*
*How fast is it, though?*
*Looks like you will be good to go in an hour?*
*Wow, really?*
*Yeah, though I suspect that's an effect of you being tied directly into a sacred tree.*
Danny waited for the small amount of mana invested into the aspect to run out before heading for the elder’s wing and his research room. He might as well study what books he could while he was resting between workouts.
***
Danny hadn't had much of a chance to read the day before while testing different propagation methods. Now, he stood there in his Sacred Tree Form, reading an elven tome, detailing their understandings in nature magic. He was learning a great deal.
As he knew, Nature Affinity could bridge a mental connection between the caster and a target. Telepathic communication between people was possible as well. Danny couldn't wait to try that one out, though it depended on how open a person’s mind was to the caster. Sentient races were harder to do this with.
Nature Affinity could also speed up any process that occurred naturally, like healing. He started looking for a way to grow his muscles magically, but that wasn't considered a natural process as the muscles had to be stimulated in some way first. While he didn’t know why magic couldn’t be used to do this, Danny did stumble upon something even better.
Danny was excited to find that one could also speed up aging, but was bummed as the book explained it couldn't reverse the process. Due to its significantly high mana cost, this spell was usually used to speed up the growth of mounts or livestock during times of war. Though the author noted that only the physical maturity of the animal was affected, there were definitely psychological aspects to consider.
*Hey, Cranny? What do you think about making ourselves physically older? I am tired of being looked down on like a child. The elves seemed to not know if we will actually ever physically age older than a thirteen-year-old.*
Cranny sounded uncertain, *I want to say yes, but not too much older.*
*So...twenty five?*
*Danny, no one will recognize us...*
*Fine, eighteen! I guess we'll just have to magically age a year on my birthday?*
*Let’s look for a spell book so we can be as accurate as possible.*
Danny followed a reference in the text to another book he was provided on Nature Affinity spells. These runic spells were similar to what wizards would use, as the wizard’s mana was too chaotic and hard to freely manipulate on their own. Apparently, even the druids found need to develop runic spells when they needed to control a specific amount of magic used. Especially in use with extremely delicate magic. He found a spell which would age an elf by a single year. It was scalable by changing one of the layers of the rune.
*Danny, now that I think about it, maybe we should ask one of the elders about this before we try anything,* warned Cranny.
Danny didn't respond and spoke out loud to the seemingly empty room, “Here goes nothing.”
CHAPTER 16
The next morning, Danny walked back into his bedroom and stretched, trying to ignore the lingering aches that now permeated what felt like his entire being.
He had begun casting the spell he found with the goal of aging to eighteen. Unfortunately, aging his body was not like switching aspects. It came with the natural growing pains from his bones elongating and every one of his cell dividing. Danny had a severe case of the flu once, back in his life on Earth. His parents had taken him to the emergency room because his fever had spiked so severely. He remembered laying in the hospital room, barely able to focus on anything at all as he was in too much discomfort to fall asleep. He easily rated the discomfort of the aging spell to being significantly higher than the suffering he went through with the flu. He had started with the plan to just age a year at a time. Then, when he realized the spell wasn’t instantaneous and was uncomfortable, he decided to bite the bullet and age another two more years. That had been a mistake. While he was writhing on the ground in horrible pain, he could hear his bones creaking and popping as they grew. Without waiting for Danny’s approval, Cranny activated his Sacred Tree Form and connected his body to the palace. This didn’t lessen his pain, but it did speed up the process quite a bit. By morning, Danny was feeling much better.
Danny came out of his room wi
th Phantom and looked down at his clothing. They now barely fit on his taller frame. He had managed not to screw things up with the aging spell, but had forgotten that this was the age range where some people hit another growth spurt. He went from around 165 centimeters to 180 centimeters tall.
He was extremely happy with his fifteen extra centimeters, except that it made his pants look like long shorts. He found a shirt that was styled a little long, so besides the uncomfortably short sleeves, he wasn't showing off his stomach. Well, all he had to do was raise his hands and that would change.
Danny had gone from a scrawny thirteen year old to a gangly sixteen year old in appearance. Well, that is if he and Cranny had used the spell correctly. He had no plans of repeating that awful night anytime soon. Once a year would be more than enough.
His muscles had gained a little mass, but it still was not anything Danny would consider normal. He sighed as he realized even shortcuts had their price to pay.
Cranny didn’t give him any sympathy or time to mope, *Awwwwwwww, my wittle man is growing so big a stwong!*
***
Danny walked into the dining area of the guest wing to find the girls eating at the dining table. They had been talking animatedly about their training and shopping with the queen, when Ivy looked over as she noticed Danny enter the room.
”Danny,” Ivy questioned as her face scrunched up in confusion.
Seeing her look, Brook and Jade turned their heads to see what was going on.
Brooke jumped up and ran over to him, and while she was looking him up and down, Danny was pleased to find he was taller than her now. Well, only slightly.
Brooke smiled while tugging at the bottom of his shirt, “First your hair, now this. I have heard of growth spurts, but this is insane, Danny. What did you eat?”
Danny explained to them about the spell and how he tested it carefully before cranking it up to growing by years.
”I've had growing pains before, but that was almost pure torture.” Danny chuckled, but quickly stopped when he saw the girl’s reactions.
Ivy looked at him incredulously, “Danny, why would you want to age yourself? Won’t you just die that much quicker…”
Brooke, looked over at him, “I don't mind the change as long as you promise not to get any more older than us.”
“Change me too Danny,” Jade blurted out from where she still sat at the table.
Ivy and Brooke looked worriedly toward her, while Danny asked, “What? Why?”
Jade stood up and stomped over to him, “Because I wasn’t the youngest, and now that I am, I don't like it. Make me older, too!”
Danny shook his head as he was forced to look up at the taller girl, “Jade, sometimes I forget you’re the youngest because you are so tall. You really don't want to do that.”
Jade didn't look pacified. Her green eyes turned as big a saucers in an attempt to get her way.
Danny screamed in his head, *She is at least three centimeters taller than me! She is only fourteen for crying out loud!*
*Danny, you can't win them all... So we will just have to find more ways to cheat.*
Arya spoke up from the entryway into the guest wing, “I would like to know why you would shorten your life as well.” The rest of the Basalts stood behind her.
Danny had sensed them but had hoped that they would give the girls and him some privacy.
Danny didn't turn to recognize Arya’s presence, “Jade, I am not going to age for a very long time. You know I am different now. One of the things I gained was a long life like the elves. I see now I shouldn't have done this. I would take it back if I could, but I can only make myself older, not younger.”
Arya walked over and stood next to them, “What else has changed about you Danny? I was hoping you would eventually open up and tell us, but I feel there are things you have been hiding from us.”
Danny collected his thoughts and opened his mouth to speak.
“Excuse me Ascendant, the queen awaits you and your familiar in the throne room.”
They all turned to see a liveried servant waiting in the entryway to the guest wing.
Arya turned back to Danny, “Also, what is this ‘Ascendant’ title they keep calling you?”
The servant cleared his throat, “The queen is requesting that you do not delay.”
“Arya, I will explain it all when I get back.”
While she didn't say anything else, Arya did not look pleased.
Looking over at the servant, Danny asked, “Do you have anything I can change into? My familiar ate my last duster?”
The servant bowed, “Clothing and a room near the throne room has already been set aside for your use.”
Danny turned around, “Phantom! Where are you?”
The ghost leopard jumped through one of the large windows and dropped what Danny thought was half a dead deer at his feet. It was only the back half so he took a wild guess at the species. The cat licked the last of the blood from her nose and sat there proudly.
Danny couldn't help but stand there agape, before yelling, “Phantom, you do not have to hunt for every meal. They will bring you all the meat you want. Now, look at the mess you made!”
Danny was sure the cat could sense the tone of his voice, but she just looked bored instead of chastised. She lifted a paw to start using it to clean the rest of her face and head.
Frustrated, Danny flung his hands in the air, before turning to the servant again, “We are ready. Could you have someone put that away for her to eat later?”
The servant nodded and turned, “Of course, if you will follow me this way.”
Danny waved to everyone as he and Phantom followed quickly after.
***
Once again, Danny was impressed and confused by the logic behind the palace’s layout. Though if it was attacked, the invaders would have difficulty moving around and clearing the structure.
The servant stopped and opened a random door, “This is the room prepared for you, and over here are the clothes that were just delivered this morning. The queen personally asks that you wear these robes.”
Danny nodded his understanding of the queen’s message, “Asks not tells. I get it.”
The room was just another sitting room, like the one the queen, Elder Breeze, and he had sat in the night they first arrived. The clothes provided for him were laid out over a long table to one side of the room.
Phantom moved over to a corner and curled up to snooze.
The servant immediately went behind Danny and started to lift Danny's shirt.
Jumping at the sudden cold draft, Danny yelled, “Hey, now! What are you doing?”
The servant looked bored, “I am helping you dress, Your Ascendancy.”
Danny held up his hands, saying, “That's alright. You just wait outside. I will come get you if there is something I can't figure out.”
”Of course. If you will excuse me.”
Danny nodded the man out and made sure the door was firmly closed.
Turning back to the clothes, he immediately noticed they had prepared some type of formal robes for him. The robe was different shades of brown and green, and though it looked as though it had multiple layers, there really was just a single layer intricately folded in on itself.
A design had been embroidered on the back. A dark green bird of prey taking to the sky with a floating yellow crown above his head, the merged symbols of the houses of Kestrel and Diadem.
*Soooo, it looks like Arya and the queen have reached a conclusion. You going to wear it, Danny?*
Danny scoffed, *They want to mark what's theirs...*
Cranny waited for Danny to continue, but seeing it wasn’t going to happen, he calming asked, *Danny?*
*What? Yeah...I got nothing else to wear, and it is only just a piece of cloth. They can try to control me, but those days of being dependent upon them are coming to an end. There is just one more thing here I want before I leave.*
Cranny sounded hopeful, *The Princess?*
*No, she is just a perk…well potentially.* Danny touched the robes, *Actually, this robe feels odd, but not in bad way.*
*Wow, it's made from the sacred tree. Danny, the robe's fibers have those crystals embedded in them.*
*Like the guards’ armor?*
*Yeah, we need to find that camouflage spell they use. It would take too much concentration to keep up along with everything else, but it could help in a pinch. I wonder why it hasn’t been in any of the books they have given us?*
Danny started putting on the robes. They were surprisingly soft. He wondered what part of the tree they used to make them. There were no pants, so he just left his on. The robe hung down right to his ankles.
*Cranny...*
*They knew your size even though you grew…the guards! Snitches.*
Danny activated his Mana Aspect and was surprised to see his robes immediately mimicking his aspect’s translucent form. He switched to Ice Aspect, and the robes grew hard and white.
*Impressive, maybe we will be able to wear this without worrying about people laughing at us afterward,* Cranny remarked.
There was knocking at the door to the room.
Danny sighed and went to open the door. The servant stood outside along with Elder Cardinal.
The elder smiled upon seeing him, “Sorry Danny, they are running a bit late and sent me out to keep you company.”
“What exactly is going on, Elder?”
The elder walked over and sat down slowly in one of the empty chairs, “Just the meeting with the noble houses. They do not have any official say in political matters, but without their support, the queen can't rule. So, she puts on this little show every so often to keep them happy.
With the new reports of goblin attacks and dark-tainted beasts, they all but demanded to speak with her. They are taking their normal complaining to new extremes. Frankly, I was glad to get out of there.”
Danny sat down in the empty chair across from the elder and gestured at his robes, “So she wants to make it official. I haven't even solved the problem she asked of me. Plus, I spoke with the princess about establishing some rules on what your people can expect from me.”
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